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Trump, Putin discusses Palestinian peace deal, N Korea's nukes

American President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone on a series of topics including North Korea's nuclear threats, the White House confirmed.President Trump reiterated the importance of taking more steps to ensure that North Korea is denuclearized.Among the other issues discussed were a potential peace deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis, according to Fox News."President Putin noted that he would meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas later today, and President Trump said that now is the time to work toward an enduring peace agreement," Fox News quoted the White House as saying.Following President Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last year, Abbas had encouraged Putin to assist in peace talks claiming that the U.S.

could "no longer play a leading role".President Putin also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month.Discussions of relations between the Israelis and Palestinians came amid heightened tensions after Israel shot down an Iranian drone earlier this week.Moreover, the conversation between the two global leaders came a day after a plane crash in Moscow killed all 71 people on board.President Trump offered his sympathies following the crash of a Russian airline's plane over the weekend.Trump reassured Putin that the U.S.

was standing by to assist Russian officials in their probe of the deadly event.